The Iowa football program hosted a career networking event earlier this summer that allowed members of the team to rub elbows with more than three dozen former Hawkeyes who understand the possibilities and pitfalls of life after football.

An early version of Herky—identified in the 1952 UI yearbook as “Herky Hawk, the spirit of Iowa”—greets students at an all-university dance at the Iowa Memorial Union in the fall of 1951. Eight years later, Herky would make his debut on the football field. From UI Special Collections’ yearbook archive.

Editor’s Note: According to a recent online poll by Harris Interactive, the average American adult ranks 50 as the best year of life. In this month’s edition of Iowa Alumni Magazine, we asked people in all different stages of life what the perfect age is for them. Here are some of our favorite responses:

Editor’s Note: Last month, Iowa Alumni Magazine brought you the story of former UI professor Earl Rose, who served as Dallas County medical examiner when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963. While Secret Service agents prepared to whisk the president’s body back to Washington, D.C. on Air Force One, Rose argued—unsuccessfully—that he was legally compelled to…

Every year, alumni tell us the most important service we can provide is to keep them well informed about the latest news and events from the University of Iowa and UI Alumni Association. Alumni want to know about the university’s achievements and the UIAA’s upcoming events, and also want to connect with fellow graduates from around the world.

Editor’s Note:The following appears in the UI Alumni Association’s June edition of Iowa Alumni Magazine.

Though the Iowa Department of Corrections has one of the country’s lowest recidivism rates, 30.8 percent of inmates return to prison within three years of discharge. Recidivism rates are even greater among the many prisoners with mental illness, who often lack sufficient treatment services in…

This month’s Iowa Alumni Magazine feature article discusses how University of Iowa alumnus Churchill Roberts came to tell the story of Petr Ginz, an inspiring young boy killed in the Holocaust. Read more about what went into the making of Roberts’ latest documentary, The Last Flight of Petr Ginz, in this Iowa Alumni Magazine exclusive:

This month’s Iowa Alumni Magazine feature article chronicles how Churchill Roberts, 72PhD, came to make his latest documentary The Last Flight of Petr Ginz. In the film, he evocatively depicts how a young dreamer courageously did what he did best until his untimely end while imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp. Since his graduation Roberts has dedicated his…